


Here There Be Dragons

by nuuboo (orphan_account)



Category: Naruto
Genre: Adoption, Family Feels, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-06
Updated: 2016-01-06
Packaged: 2018-05-12 02:14:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5649910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/nuuboo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"We’re afraid of things we don’t really understand, or things we don’t look close enough at to figure out. It’s easier that way, but it’s not always fair. It’s never really fair."</p><p>Based loosely on the prompt of Iruka and Naruto falling asleep together. More of the dad!Iruka series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Here There Be Dragons

“—why doesn’t the princess just be _friends_ with the dragon?” Naruto asks, clearly missing the point of the large, frightening beast’s illustration. 

“Because she’s afraid of him,” Iruka replies, patient. 

Naruto is tucked neatly into his lap, small enough that he curls comfortably against the warmth of Iruka’s chest. His short fingers remain locked around Iruka’s sleeve where they’d landed some minutes ago, and his brows furrow deep in concentration. 

“Why?” Naruto presses, frowning. 

“Because he’s scary-looking, and much bigger than she is. She doesn’t know any better.” After a pause, Iruka adds, “That’s how it is for a lot of us, too. We’re afraid of things we don’t really understand, or things we don’t look close enough at to figure out. It’s easier that way, but it’s not always fair. It’s never really fair.” 

Naruto is silent at that, soaking in Iruka’s words like a sponge. He stares at the illustration, touching his fingers to the bright reds of the dragon’s scales, tracing it down his back, to its tail, off the page. 

“The dragon doesn’t have any friends… ‘cause everyone’s scared of him,” Naruto says at last. There’s a note of understanding in his voice that makes Iruka’s stomach churn. “Nobody likes him ‘cause they don’t… understand him.” 

“That’s right,” Iruka says. 

From where he sits, he can’t see Naruto’s expression. He’s not sure he wants to. Naruto’s sharp perception was never lost on him as much as it was for anyone else who had the audacity to treat the child as poorly in public as they dared to. Iruka had come to realize some weeks prior that no matter how tightly he held Naruto’s hand, no matter how affectionately he rubbed the child’s back on the way home, he wasn’t enough to shield Naruto from the stares, the jabs, the whispers that Naruto never missed. Iruka’s affection fell short in a way that made him angrier at the world around him. What right had they to think poorly of a child too young to understand the severity of his own birth? What right had they to scorn Naruto when _they_ were the ones benefitting from the Fourth’s sacrifice? What right had they to—

“Dad?”

“Yeah?” Iruka says, slipping out of his bitter reverie. “What is it, Sunshine?”

Naruto’s fingers toy with the corner edge of the page, folding and unfolding it. Iruka doesn’t stop him, even when the crease becomes irreversible. “I think the dragon’s real nice. I bet he’s a good dragon that doesn’t hurt anyone. He won’t hurt the princess.”

There is something about the feeble quietness of Naruto’s voice that makes Iruka’s eyes burn. Naruto sounds hopeful, almost, as though he isn’t sure of the story’s ending, but he wishes for a happy one for the dragon’s tale; the uncertainty belies the careful touch of optimism that Naruto allows himself to feel, always a protective cushion for the potential let-down to come. Iruka tightens his grip on the book, blinking rapidly. Naruto’s head falls back until it rests cozily against Iruka’s shoulder. 

“I think so too,” Iruka says, dipping his head down so that his chin settles comfortingly atop Naruto’s head. He doesn’t know whether he’s comforting himself or Naruto, or which of the two needs it more. “And I think that one day, everyone in the kingdom will realize it, too. And when that day comes, that dragon’s going to have a lot of friends. Everyone will admire his strength. He’ll protect the kingdom from harm, and they’ll come to see him as a hero.”

The idea sparks something in Naruto, and he stops his fiddling. Iruka watches as he raises a finger to touch the tip of the dragon’s nose, gently outlining its head. Eventually, Naruto stops, choosing instead to grip Iruka’s sleeve again. Iruka wonders if it gives him some sliver of comfort to do that. He doesn’t turn the page, and the vibrant illustration of the dragon looks down on Naruto intently. Iruka can hear the steady rise and fall of Naruto’s breathing, and Naruto’s grip slackens. 

“I’m sorry,” he says, bracketing Naruto’s small body with his arm, “that you suffer.” _Does it hurt, Naruto? Does it hurt badly?_ “But one day… they’ll see you for who you really are. I promise. I promise. So, just—hold on until then. Don’t let go.”


End file.
